Killingsworth v. State

33 So. 3d 632, 2009 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 108, 2009 WL 2657871
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedAugust 28, 2009
DocketCR-08-0469
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 33 So. 3d 632 (Killingsworth v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Killingsworth v. State, 33 So. 3d 632, 2009 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 108, 2009 WL 2657871 (Ala. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

WISE, Presiding Judge.

The appellant, Terry Lynn Killings-worth, was convicted of first-degree assault, a violation of § 13A-6-20(a)(5), Ala. Code 1975. The trial court sentenced him, as a habitual offender, to serve a term of thirty-five years in prison. See § 13A-5-9(c)(2), Ala.Code 1975. Killingsworth filed *634 a motion for a new trial, which the trial court denied after conducting a hearing. This appeal followed.

The State presented evidence that, on the morning of January 22, 2008, Killings-worth was driving a vehicle, ran a stop sign at the intersection of Newton Street and Park Avenue, and struck another vehicle. Ultimately, four vehicles were involved in the collision.

Officer Frank Reeves of the Dothan Police Department testified that, at 7:19 a.m. on January 22, 2008, he responded to the scene of an accident involving four vehicles at North Park Avenue and West Newton Street. Killingsworth had been driving one of the vehicles, and Desiree Runge had been driving another one of the vehicles. When Reeves arrived, medical personnel were attending to Runge and Killings-worth.

Reeves testified that he smelled the very strong odor of alcohol on Killingsworth. He also observed what appeared to be a bottle of gin and a can of beer in Killings-worth’s vehicle and therefore took photographs of the interior of Killingsworth’s vehicle.

Based on his investigation, Reeves testified that he believed Killingsworth ran a stop sign. He also stated that the type of damage he saw could happen if a vehicle’s brakes failed. Finally, he testified that he believed Killingsworth was intoxicated and that the level of intoxication impaired his ability to drive and operate a vehicle safety-

Reeves testified that, while he was at the hospital, he asked Killingsworth to provide a blood sample to be tested for blood alcohol content. However, Killings-worth refused to provide such a sample. Reeves also testified that he then obtained a court order so he could obtain a blood sample from Killingsworth and that he videotaped the process of drawing Kill-ingsworth’s blood.

Killingsworth’s blood was drawn at 9:45 a.m. Forensic testing revealed that, at that time, Killingsworth had a blood alcohol content of .157.

William Roger Henderson testified that, on January 22, 2008, Runge was driving him to work. He saw Killingsworth’s vehicle accelerate toward them and then hit their vehicle. Runge was injured as a result of the accident. Henderson estimated that Killingsworth’s vehicle was exceeding the posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour.

Georgia Ann Davis testified that, on January 22, 2008, she saw Killingsworth’s vehicle rapidly approaching a stop sign to her left. She believed the vehicle was traveling at more than 30 miles per hour. Davis testified that she remembered thinking he would not be able to stop and that she did not hear anything to indicate that he was using the brakes on his vehicle. Afterward, she saw Killingsworth’s vehicle hit Runge’s vehicle. Her vehicle was also hit as a result of the collision.

Dawna Jordan testified that she was on her way to work on the morning of the accident when she saw Killingsworth’s vehicle traveling very quickly. She said it was obvious he was not stopping or attempting to stop and was going to hit someone. After the collision, Killings-worth’s head was hanging on the steering wheel and he was not responsive.

Desiree Runge 1 testified that, on January 22, 2008, she and Henderson were on North Park driving to work. The next *635 thing she remembered was waking up at the hospital. She later learned that she suffered numerous injuries as a result of a collision involving Killingsworth.

Kwame Jackson testified that, on the morning of January 22, 2008, he saw Kill-ingsworth’s vehicle on West Newton Street about three blocks from the location of the collision. At that time, the vehicle was going “as fast as it would go.” (R. 165.) Specifically, Jackson testified that “[t]he car was going faster than 30.” (R. 169.) There were two stop signs before the intersection where the accident occurred. Jackson testified that the brake lights on Killingsworth’s vehicle came on one time, but that the vehicle never stopped. He did not see any brake lights as the vehicle approached the intersection with Park Avenue and, afterward, he saw Killings-worth’s vehicle hit other vehicles at the intersection with Park.

Benjamin Kosar testified that, around 7:00 a.m. on January 22, 2008, he saw Killingsworth’s vehicle heading toward a stop sign at a good speed and not slowing down. In fact, he testified that it appeared that the vehicle accelerated when it got to the stop sign. Ultimately, his vehicle was involved in the collision. After the collision, he looked into Killingsworth’s vehicle and observed that Killingsworth appeared to be “on drugs or something.” (R. 227.)

Stuart Keisling, a mechanic and a certified brake technician, testified for the defense that he examined Killingsworth’s vehicle and that it appeared that the vehicle was out of brake fluid. He also testified that the vehicle probably would not have slowed down if the brakes had been applied, but that the brake lights would have come on if the brake pedal had been pushed. Finally, he testified that, in his opinion, the vehicle’s brakes were not functional.

Killingsworth testified that the vehicle he was driving on January 22, 2008, belonged to his sister-in-law and that he sometimes borrowed it. He also testified that, as he was driving on Newton Street, he was traveling at 28-30 miles per hour, that he mashed the brakes as he approached the stop sign, and that the pedal went to the floor and the brakes did not work. Killingsworth stated that he did not have time to grab the emergency brake. He also stated that he had not had problems with the brake system in the vehicle before.

On cross-examination, Killingsworth admitted that he had been drinking alcohol the previous day and night and that he had gone to sleep around 10:30 p.m. or 11:00 p.m. He also admitted that he got up at some point, drank, and went back to sleep, but contended that he was not drunk on the morning of the accident. Finally, he asserted that the gin bottle and beer can that were in the vehicle did not belong to him.

I.

Killingsworth argues that the trial court erroneously denied his motion to remove Juror R.M. from the jury for cause. Specifically, he contends that the trial court should have removed Juror R.M. from the jury because, after the jury was struck and sworn, he advised the court that Officer Frank Reeves was dating his personal secretary and because he had a friendship with Reeves.

During the voir dire proceedings, the following occurred:

“THE COURT: Okay. The issue in this case is going to be, as a juror, is if you hear the evidence from the State— and apparently, Sergeant Reeves will be one of the witnesses. And of course, [defense counsel] will be able to cross- *636 examine after [the prosecutor] asks him questions. They’ll both ask him questions.

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Related

Wilson v. State
142 So. 3d 732 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2010)
Doster v. State
72 So. 3d 50 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2010)
Phillips v. State
65 So. 3d 971 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2010)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
33 So. 3d 632, 2009 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 108, 2009 WL 2657871, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/killingsworth-v-state-alacrimapp-2009.